Skye Seven raise hope for breed's survival

The birth of seven female Skye terriers has raised hopes that Britain's most endangered dog breed can be saved from extinction.

The dog, which is best known for its loyalty in the story of Greyfriars Bobby, has emerged as the least popular breed in the country. Last year only 30 were born, compared with 45,000 labradors.

Breeders are worried that traditional dogs such as the Dandie Dinmont and Sealyham terriers are being replaced by fashionable foreign breeds, including the shi tzu and the Lhasa apso.

The Kennel Club has put the Skye terrier at the top of its list of most vulnerable breeds.

The arrival of seven pups at the Hertfordshire home of Jenny and Kirsty Miller has raised hopes that the breed has a brighter future and can be preserved.

Paul Keevil, of the Kennel Club's vulnerable breeds committee, said: "This is fantastic news. To have seven born at once is great but to have seven bitches is wonderful. It is a great shot in the arm to the breed. We are desperate to find more people who are willing to take on the breed and have litters. That is the challenge now.

"The figure of 30 Skye terriers born last year was nothing short of a disaster.

"If the numbers carry on like that, then within five to 10 years they will be staring extinction in the face."

Mr Keevil said that one of the problems was that Skye terriers were not an ideal first dog to train, as they were strong-willed and needed strong handling. He compared dogs such as the labrador and the cavalier King Charles to Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra cars, which were "easy to handle and had low maintenance", he said. The Skye terrier, on the other hand, was "more like a Maserati".

Mrs Miller said: "These seven puppies are very important to the breed, especially as they are bitches and can be bred from. All seven are doing very well and we are delighted.

"It is vital that we find them a good home. It is even more vital that we find more breeders so that we can get the Skye terrier off the endangered list."

The Skye terrier originated in the Isle of Skye. The story of Greyfriars Bobby tells of the loyal companion of an Edinburgh policeman, John Gray, which watched over its master's grave in Greyfriars churchyard for 14 years until it died in 1872. Last year Disney issued a film version of the 1912 novel by the American author Eleanor Atkinson.

The Skye terrier has also had royal connections. Mary Queen of Scots supposedly had one beneath her dress when she went to her death.